Food Control 21 (2010) 584–591

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Food Control
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodcont

Application of hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP) system

to vacuum-packed sauced pork in Chinese food corporations
Di Wang a,b, HongNian Wu c, XueTing Hu a,b, MingLiang Yang d, Ping Yao a,b, ChenJiang Ying a,b,
LiPing Hao a,b, LieGang Liu a,b,*
a
Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road,
Wuhan 430030, PR China
b
MOE Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 13 Hangkong Road,
Wuhan 430030, PR China
c
Bureau of Health Supervision, Department of Public Health of Jianghan Area, 50 Majiaochang Road, Wuhan 43000, PR China
d
Bureau of Health Supervision, Department of Public Health of Hubei Province, 6 Zhuodaoquan North Road, Wuhan 430079, PR China

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Our study aims to establish an HACCP system which was implemented for the quality assurance of vac-
Received 24 February 2009 uum-packed sauced pork processing in Chinese food corporations. After identified hazards, the critical
Received in revised form 17 August 2009 control points were defined using a decision tree. In addition, the vacuum-packed sauced pork products,
Accepted 22 August 2009
manufactured by three corporations, were detected for chemical and microbial contaminants before and
after the implementation of the HACCP system, respectively. According to the national food hygiene stan-
dards accepted by PR China, for nitrite, aerobic plate count and coliforms, the percentage of products
Keywords:
obtained before vs. after the implementation of HACCP satisfying the standards was 86.2% vs. 100%,
HACCP
Vacuum-packed sauced pork
71.3% vs. 96.4% and 71.3% vs. 95.5%, respectively. In conclusion, the contaminants of vacuum-packed
Chemical and microbiological contaminants sauced pork can be reduced or eliminated if an HACCP system is applied effectively.
Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Sauced pork is one of favorite ready-to-eat food in the People’s
Republic of China because of its convenience, rich nutrition and
good taste. Specially, vacuum-packed sauced pork which has long-
er shift life is common in almost every super market. Thus, this
popular food presents an ideal substrate supporting the growth
of several spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. Intrinsic factors of
meat such as pH and water activity are not inhibitory to growth
of such microorganisms owning to their neutral and high initial
values, respectively (Mataragas & Drosinos, 2007). Pathogenic bac-
teria and virus inhabited in meat production constitute a large pro-
portion of all food-borne illness (EFSA, 2007). Besides, the chemical
residue would be high if food additives were not properly imple-
mented. For example, nitrite is usually used as food additive in
meat products, which can develop pink color, inhibit the growth
of food bacteria, contribute to the favor and the texture, etc.
(Cassens, 1997). However, nitrite is an important precursor of N-
nitroso compounds, the latter can be carcinogenic and mutagenic
* Corresponding author. Address: Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene,
School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and
Technology, 13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan 430030, PR China. Tel.: +86 27 83692711;
fax: +86 27 83650522.
E-mail address: lgliu@mails.tjmu.edu.cn (L. Liu).
(Cassens, 1995; Jay, Loessner, & Golden, 2005). Although the
sauced pork has become more popular in recent years, the micro-
bial and chemical qualities of this product need to be taken into
consideration by the food corporations and consumers.
Classical quality control methods only emphasized on hygienic
quality of end products rather than processing are inadequate to
control these hazards which were diverse. To provide safe food
and prevent food-borne illness outbreaks, hazard analysis critical
control point (HACCP) programs are recommended. The HACCP
system was originally developed as microbiological safety system
that was used in the production of the food destined to be used
in space in the early days of the USA manned space program. In
the early time, the HACCP system only applied in the army to en-
sure the food safety (Mortimore & Wallace, 1998). But in the
1980s, commercial food producers began establishing their own
HACCP program (Adams, 1994). The National Advisory Committee
(NAC, 1998) defined HACCP as ‘‘a management system in which
food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biolog-
ical, chemical, and physical hazard from raw material production,
procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution, and
consumption of the finished production.” The HACCP system could
identify and assess the potential risks associated with the storage,
manufacture, delivery of food and the appropriate effective control
measures aiming to eliminating or reducing these hazards at
specific points of the production line. Therefore, the HACCP is a

0956-7135/$ - see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2009.08.009
 D. Wang et al. / Food Control 21 (2010) 584–591 585

systematic approach to control the potential hazards in a food
operation applied in the food industry and other production units.
Although there is a growing demand for sauced pork, no infor-
mation is available regarding the processes, hazards, preventive
measures of this product in PR China. The aims of this study were
to establish the HACCP system of vacuum-packed sauced pork in
the Chinese food corporations. Since this was the first study of vac-
uum-packed sauced pork in this country, these results provide ba-
sic information about the production of this food.
for this study at first. Thirty five sauced pork corporations located
in Wuhan, Hubei province of PR China were obtained in this
investigation. Table 1 included 21 questions related to Good
Manufacturing Practice (GMP) procedures, including prerequisite
programs such as sanitation, hygiene procedures and manage-
ments, and procedures for packaging and storage. Yes/no responses
were given for each question. After the investigation, three food
corporations (replaced by A, B, C) were obtained to establish the
HACCP plans.

2. Materials and methods Step 1: An assembly of the HACCP team.

HACCP is a profitable investment in our society. Setting up an
effective HACCP system provides evidence a company is conscious
of safety consumer. Therefore, it must be based on a series of sci-
entific principles. The principles of HACCP are defined as below
(Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), 1997):
P1: List the steps in the process where significant hazards occur
and describe preventive measures.
P2: Identify the critical control points (CCPs).
P3: Determine the critical limits for preventive measures asso-
ciated with each CCP.
P4: Establish CCPs monitoring requirements.
P5: Establish corrective actions to be taken when monitoring
indicates a deviation from an established critical limit.
P6: Establish effective record-keeping procedures.
P7: Establish procedures for verification that the HACCP system
is working correctly.
2.1. Establishment of HACCP plans
Before setting up an effect HACCP plan, it was first to ensure
that all relevant knowledge and expertise was available. The
HACCP system mainly focuses on microbiological, chemical, phys-
ical and biological hazards, but expertise relating to the processes
and process control plays an essential role in the sessions of the
HACCP teams. Therefore, senior dietitians, managers and staffs
who prepared and administered the sauced pork’ manufacturing
were needed to setting up the HACCP system. These specialized
persons and staffs make up the HACCP team.
Step 2: Product description of vacuum-packed sauced pork
(Table 2).
Step 3: Construction of flow chart of processing.
The HACCP processes should be systematic and successive, so
flow chart was prepared including all relevant steps including
acquisition of the raw materials, storage, mixing, boiling, package
and so on (Fig. 1). Then, the accuracy of the flow chart should be
verified by the HACCP team. If unanimity was attained by the
HACCP team, the flow chart shouldn’t be changed in later research.

Steps 4–5: Hazard analysis, determination of critical control

HACCP is applied from the raw material reception stage to final
storage before final production distribution. These processing were
made up in accordance with the Codex Alimentarius Commission
(Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), 1997). In these studies,
Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Sanitation Standard
Operating Procedure (SSOP) considerations are included in the
HACCP studies. Therefore, a written questionnaire was developed
points (CCP).
Understanding the potential pollution of the vacuum-packed
sauced pork and manufacturing was essential for preparing an
HACCP plan. Some pollution could be eliminated sufficiently in
the operation, but others were not. Therefore, knowledge of possi-

Table 1
Hygienic conditions investigation of sauced pork corporations (N = 35).

GMPa procedure of sauced pork corporations Yes n (%) No n (%)

Sanitation requirements of factory environment Flat and dry 33 (94.7) 2 (5.3)
Plentiful water resources 35 (100.0) 0 (0.0)
No toilet, garbage plant, chemical plant and so on nearby 35 (100.0) 0 (0.0)
No bug dust, harmful gas, radioactive contamination nearby 35 (100.0) 0 (0.0)
Sanitation requirements of workshop Separate raw meat and cooked meat processing area 32 (91.4) 3 (8.6)
Air purification equipments 33 (94.7) 2 (5.3)
Independent dressing-room 33 (94.7) 2 (5.3)
Requirements of production supervisors and technicians Health certification 32 (91.4) 3 (8.6)
Hygiene training 26 (73.7) 9 (26.3)
Apinoid uniform, glove, hat and mask 31 (89.5) 4 (10.5)
Requirements of equipments Qualified production equipments 34 (97.1) 1 (2.9)
Hygienic container 31 (89.5) 4 (10.5)
Sterilizing facilities 33 (94.7) 2 (5.3)
Hygienic requirements of raw materials and auxiliary materials Qualified raw meat examined by veterinarian 35 (100.0) 0 (0.0)
Detailed use records of auxiliary materials 22 (63.2) 13 (36.8)
Segregated depository of raw materials and auxiliary materials 32 (91.4) 3 (8.6)
Hygienic requirements of production Detailed hygienic management system and operation norm 30 (85.7) 5 (14.3)
Detailed production record 28 (80.0) 7 (20.0)
Hygienic requirements of packaging and storage Effective air sterilization equipment in packaging workshop 33 (94.7) 2 (5.3)
Standard refrigeration room 35 (100.0) 0 (0.0)
Detailed records of temperature, time and pressure 24 (68.4) 11 (31.6)
a
GMP, good manufacturing practice.
586 D. Wang et al. / Food Control 21 (2010) 584–591

Table 2 control point vs. a control point or something that could be han-
Product description of vacuum-packed sauced pork. dled under the GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices) or SOPs
Product name Vacuum-packed sauced pork (Standard Operating Practices). Although this Decision Tree was
Raw materials Animal and poultry meat not perfect, it was certainly useful to focus the attention of the
Auxiliary materials Salt, monosodium glutamate, cooking wine, chili, team on what should be used in a HACCP plan to control hazards.
perfuming agents, food additives and so on
Processing methods Boiled Steps 6–8: Establishment of critical limits, monitoring methods
Product characteristic Sensory index: The product has a natural color, and corrective actions to each CCP.
smell and taste, no foreign body attached, no bad
smell
Hygienic index: High water activity, neutral pH To each CCP, specification, critical limits, monitoring methods,
value and room temperature. Aerobic plate count frequency and corrective actions were maximum validity to reduce
68  104 cuf/g, coliforms 6150 the hazards (Table 4).
Usage MPN/100 g, pathogens can not be detected, nitrite
630 mg/kg
Package Ready-to-eat
Steps 9–10: Establishment of effective record-keeping proce-
Guarantee period Vacuum-packed dures and verification procedures.
Production sites Six months with vacuum-packed
Food factories and restaurants Various kinds of documentation models were supplied to the
sauced pork corporations for monitoring selected CCPs and ensur-
ing appropriate corrective actions.

ble microbiological, chemical, physical and biological hazards con-
nected to the processes under evaluation was essential for the
HACCP team. After identifying the hazards and the control mea-
sures which did or did not exist, we defined a step or procedure
at which control can be applied and a food safety hazard can be
prevented, eliminated, or reduced to acceptable levels. This step
or procedure was critical control point (CCP). The selection of CCPs
was aided by the use of a CCP decision tree (Fig. 2 and Table 3). This
decision tree was designed to allow the HACCP team to ask specific
and logical questions to help determine what was truly a critical
2.2. Sample collection
A total of 94 and 110 vacuum-packed sauced pork samples were
obtained for chemical and microbiological contaminants examina-
tion before and after the implementation of the HACCP system in
these three corporations which applied the HACCP system during
a 12-month period, respectively. Various types and batches of
sauced pork were randomly collected. Besides, 85 air-packed
sauced pork samples were detected from markets as control group.
Each sample was taken by scrubbing a 100-cm2 area from three

Raw materials Refrigeration

receiving Storage and Collation
unfreezing

Packaging Drying Boiling Curing Mixing

Vacuu High- temperature Storage

m Cooling
steam sterilization
sealing

Auxiliary
materials receiving

Fig. 1. A common simplified flow diagram can be constructed for vacuum-packed sauced pork.
 D. Wang et al. / Food Control 21 (2010) 584–591 587

Question 1: Do preventative
control measures exist?

Modify the process.

Yes No

Is this control action necessary to Yes

control food safety?

No Not a CCP a. Stop b.

Question 2: Is this process step intended to eliminate or

Yes
reduce the hazard to an acceptable level? c

No

Question 3: Is an unacceptable level, survival, c

persistence or increase at this step probable?

Yes No Not a CCP. Stop b.

Question 4: Is reduction, if any, at a further step

adequate? c

Yes No CCP

Not a CCP. Stop b.

Fig. 2. Four questions should be included in the CCP decision tree of the HACCP system. aCCP = Critical Control Point. bProceed to the next identified hazard in the described
process. cAcceptable and unacceptable levels need to be determined within the overall objectives in identifying the CCPs of the HACCP plan.

Table 3
Decision of critical control points (CCPs).

The processing steps The questions of CCP decision treea Whether CCP, or Main hazards
not
Question Question Question Question
1 2 3 4
Raw materials and auxiliary materials Yes Yes CCP Biological, chemical and physical
receiving pollutions
Storage Yes No Yes Yes Not
Refrigeration and unfreezing Yes No Yes Yes Not
Collation Yes No Yes Yes Not
Mixing Yes Yes CCP Abused food additive
Curing Yes No Yes Yes Not
Boiling Yes Yes CCP Pathogenic microbes
Drying Yes No Yes Yes Not
Packaging Yes No Yes Yes Not
Vacuum sealing Yes Yes CCP Pathogenic microbes
High-temperature steam sterilization Yes Yes CCP Pathogenic microbes
Cooling Yes Yes CCP Pathogenic microbes
a
The four questions can be found in Fig. 2.

different locations, equidistant from each other at each end and in to the laboratory at low temperature (<7 °C) and stored at 4 °C, un-
the middle. All samples were placed in sterile bags and transported til testing. All samples were analyzed within 24 h after sampling.
588 D. Wang et al. / Food Control 21 (2010) 584–591
2.2.1. Analysis of aerobic plate count, coliforms and nitrite in sauced
pork
The APC and coliforms were enumerated by using Plate Count
Agar (ACP) and Brilliant Green Lactose Bile (BGLB), respectively
(FDA, 1998, chap. 4; FDA, 2001, chap. 3). The content of nitrite in
sauced pork was determined by zinc-N-(1-Naphthyl) ethylene dia-
mine dihydrochloride spectrophotometric method (Sunil, 1990).
2.3. Statistical analysis
Results were reported as percentage of samples testing exceed-
ing the nitrite, aerobic colony count and coliforms standards for
sauced pork accepted by People’s Republic of China. A Chi-square
test was performed to compare the rate of isolation. All statistical
analyses were conducted using SPSS 13.0 for windows software.
3. Results
GMP standards were categorized into seven parts (require-
ments of factory environment, workshop, production supervisors
and technicians, raw materials and auxiliary materials, packaging
and storage), responses to these questions were summarized in Ta-
ble 1. The majority of food corporations had a high sanitation con-
dition of factory environment, workshop and equipments. 91.4%
food corporations reimbursed employees for their examination
charges and staffs had health certifications. It was significantly
common in food corporations (91.4%) that clear physical separa-
tion was provided between raw meat and cooked production areas.
All the corporations (100%) purchased qualified raw meat exam-
ined by veterinarian, and 91.4% corporations set segregated depos-
itory of raw materials and auxiliary materials. Comparatively, the
hygiene training and production records were not common. Over
a quarter (26.3%) of corporations had not held hygiene training
for their managers and staffs. 63.2%, 80.0%, 68.4% had detailed re-
Table 4
Identification and monitoring of important process (ranked as critical control points) phase in the vacuum-packed sauced pork process.
The processing Hazards
steps
Raw materials Microbiological: potential pathogenic
receiving microbes and parasites
Chemical: residues of veterinary drugs,
agricultural chemicals, hormone and heavy
metals
Physical: metals, sands
Auxiliary Chemical: abused food additive
materials
receiving
Physical: metals and sand
Biological: mouldy auxiliary materials
Mixing Chemical: abused food additive
Boiling Microbiological: potential pathogenic
microbes
Packaging Microbiological: potential pathogenic
microbes
Chemical: residues of abluent, cracked
plastic
High- Microbiological: potential pathogenic
temperature microbes
steam
sterilization
Cooling Microbiological: potential pathogenic
microbes
cords about use of auxiliary materials, production and storage,
respectively.
The overall processes of sauced pork contained 12 steps which
were discussed in detail by the HACCP team in Fig. 1. Although
each step could be polluted by potential hazards, some of them
were eliminated sufficiently in the operation. Therefore, it was nec-
essary to discuss and identify all potential hazards and to evaluate
possible critical control point. Based on CCP decision tree (Fig. 2)
and the information obtained from HACCP team, the CCPs of the
processing were identified. A summary of the CCPs was presented
in Table 3. Additionally, the relevant hazards for CCPs, specifica-
tions, critical limits, monitoring methods and frequency, and cor-
rective actions of both processes were presented in Table 4.
The results and distribution of nitrite and microbial analyses of
sauced pork samples were summarized in Tables 5 and 6. Regard-
ing the distribution, 100% of the samples were found to have ni-
trite. According to the food hygiene standards accepted by the
People’s Republic of China (Food Sanitation Standard, 1996), for ni-
trite (630 mg/kg), aerobic plate count (68  104 cuf/g) and coli-
forms (6150 MPN/100 g), the percentage of vacuum-packed
sauced pork products obtained before the implementation of
HACCP satisfying the standards was 82.6%, 71.3% and 71.3%,
respectively. Comparatively, after the HACCP, the percentage of
vacuum-packed sauced pork products was 100%, 96.4% and
95.5%, respectively. For the distribution, the percentage of vac-
uum-packed sauced pork samples obtained from food corporations
which had applied the HACCP system of satisfactory or acceptable
chemical quality was higher (for the distribution, see Table 5)
when compared with vacuum-packed sauced pork samples ob-
tained from the food corporations before the HACCP, and air-
packed sauced pork samples obtained from the markets. For micro-
biological contaminants, 71.3% and 96.4% of samples were found to
have aerobic plate count 68  104 cuf/g, before and after the
implementation of the HACCP system, respectively. 71.3% and
95.5% of samples were found to have coliforms 6150 MPN/100 g
Specifications/critical limits Monitoring methods and Corrective actions
frequency
Suppliers provide the conformity Microbiological laboratory, Refuse the
certificate of raw pork chemical and physical laboratory, unqualified raw
every batch materials
Suppliers provide the conformity Microbiological laboratory, Refuse the
certificate chemical and physical laboratory, unqualified
every batch auxiliary materials
Weighing accurately Console, physical laboratory, every Destroyed
batch
Keep in boiling temperature at 100 °C. Console, microbiological Re-boiled
Keep in centre temperature higher than laboratory, every batch
70 °C
Reports, documents and instructions Visually, every 0.5 h Discarded the
related to internal hygiene audits and products
cleaning
Keep in temperature at 100 °C in 20 min Console, every batch Discarded the
products
Maximum time of 30 min between Console, every batch Discarded the
sterilization and distribution products
 D. Wang et al. / Food Control 21 (2010) 584–591 589

Table 5
Distribution of nitrite in sauced pork products obtained from different food corporationsa.

Sampling point No. of samples Percentage of samples in the following range (%)
630c 31  60 61  90 91  120 P120
b
A Before HACCP 32 84.4 9.4 0.0 6.3 0.0
After HACCP 36 100.0d,e 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
B Before HACCP 28 90.5 7.1 3.8 0.0 0.0
After HACCP 34 100.0d,e 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
C Before HACCP 34 85.3 8.8 2.9 0.0 2.9
After HACCP 40 100.0d,e 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Markets 85 65.9 15.3 4.7 5.9 8.2
a
289 samples were tested.
b
HACCP, hazard analysis critical control point.
c
mg/kg.
d
Significant difference from the group which before HACCP at p < 0.05 (by x2 test).
e
Significant difference from the control group from markets at p < 0.05 (by x2 test).

Table 6
Percentage of aerobic plate count and coliforms not meeting the microbiological standard established by the People’s Republic of China in sauced pork made by different place.

Sample type Sampling points No. of samples Percentage of samples not meeting the microbiological
standarda
APCc Coliforms
b
Vacuum-packed sauced pork air-packed sauced pork A Before HACCP 32 25.0 31.3
After HACCP 36 2.8e,f 5.6e,f
B Before HACCP 28 32.4 25.0
After HACCP 34 2.9e,f 2.9e,f
C Before HACCP 34 29.4 29.4
After HACCP 40 5.0e,f 5.0e,f
Air-packed sauced pork Markets 85 32.9 31.8
a 4
The microbiological standard for sauced pork as following: aerobic plate count, less than 810 cfu/g; Coliforms, less than 150 MPN/100 g.
b
HACCP, hazard analysis critical control point.
c
APC, aerobic plate count.
e
Significant difference from the group which before HACCP at p < 0.05 (by x2 test).
f
Significant difference from the control group from markets at p < 0.05 (by x2 test).

before and after the implementation of the HACCP system, respec-
tively (for the distribution, see Table 6). These were a significant
reduction in the aerobic plate count and coliforms after implemen-
tation of the system. As the control group, 32.9% and 31.8% of air-
packed sauced pork samples obtained from markets were found
containing excess aerobic plate count and coliforms, respectively.
This finding was significant (p < 0.05) when comparing the isolat-
ing samples (Tables 5 and 6).
4. Discussion
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) are the foundation of any
effective food safety program. GMPs advantage addresses the haz-
ards associated with personnel and the processing environment. So
GMPs are considered as the premise of implication of HACCP sys-
tem. However, most Chinese businesses often emphasize their
enterprise scale, workforces and high quality equipments but fre-
quency training, production records and so on which usually called
‘‘soft conditions”. Specially, to HACCP system, it not only requires
financial strength but also tight management. In this study, 73.7%
of food corporations’ directors reported that they had frequency
hygienic training, the percentage of detailed records about using
of auxiliary material, production and storage were not high. As a
scientific management system, HACCP has strict requirements for
these. Take training for example, a report by Oliveira, Mayes
(1994) showed that hygiene training of personnel in food corpora-
tions in the application of the HACCP was an essential element for
effective implementation of HACCP. The aims of the training were
to require the staff not only understand what they were doing but
why they were doing it, which improved the commitment of per-
sonnel to implementation of the HACCP system. Production re-
cords were also required strictly in the HACCP system, which
rarely appeared in many other food safety procedures. Sukyung
and his colleagues (Youn & Sneed, 2003) found that more than
90% of directors reported to have standard operation procedures,
but more than half of these directors did not have written proce-
dures for any of these processes, which was a requirement for
the HACCP programs.
Sauced pork, as a kind of ready-to-eat food, provided a source of
readily available and nutritious meals for the consumer, however,
the safety of these foods should be the first priority, since they
have characteristic technology and did not receive any heat treat-
ment before consumption. Therefore, sauced pork, like other
cooked meat production, was regarded as high-risk food (Ministry
of Agriculture & Food (MAFF), 2005). Smerdon, Adak, O’Brien,
Gillespie, and Reacher (2001) reported that large outbreaks of
infectious intestinal diseases had occurred in the UK and abroad
as a result of consumption of cooked meats. Though there were
rare centralized investigation about sauced pork in China, distrib-
uted food poisoning cases could not be neglected. According to
the Food Sanitation Standard of the Republic of China, nitrite, aer-
obic plate count, coliforms should not exceed 30 mg/kg,
8  104 cfu/g, 150 MPN/100 g, respectively. In this study, excessive
nitrite, total aerobes and coliforms were detected in the sauced
pork samples, which revealed that contaminants in this food pre-
sented a potential health hazard to consumers. The aim of an
590 D. Wang et al. / Food Control 21 (2010) 584–591
HACCP system was to reduce these potential hazards in food. After
running the CCP decision tree of the HACCP system, five CCPs are
chosen by the HACCP team. They were raw materials and auxiliary
materials receiving, mixing, boiling, packaging, sterilization and
cooling. At each CCP, corrective actions were immediately taken
during the sauced pork production. After the implementation of
HACCP system, the chemical and bacteriological quality of the
sauced pork samples was significantly increased (p < 0.05) by the
corrective actions, as compared to samples which were obtained
from corporations that before HACCP and markets. Implementa-
tion of the HACCP system helped to improving the chemical and
microbiological quality of sauced pork. However, it should be
pointed out that the success of the system does not depend exclu-
sively on chemical and microbiological contaminants results which
obtained from the processing. The significance of the results is
helpful to show whether or not the HACCP system was working
effectively.
Applied the HACCP system, vacuum-packed sauced pork was
higher safety than air-packed sauced pork. In this study, the pro-
portion of vacuum-packed sauced pork samples obtained from
food corporations which had applied the HACCP system of satisfac-
tory or acceptable chemical and microbiological quality was higher
when compared with air-packed samples. However, before apply-
ing the HACCP, the proportion of satisfactory microbiological qual-
ity vacuum-packed sauced pork samples was not significant when
compared with air-packed samples. This finding should be ex-
plained that more additives which were added to foods to inhibit
spoilage had appeared more frequently in air-packed sauced pork.
Chemical and microbiological contaminants were two main
hazards in sauced pork, a variety factors could lead to these pollu-
tions. For chemical contaminants, irregular usage of food additives
used as auxiliary material could lead to chemical pollution. In this
study, 26.8% of food corporations had not provided a detailed use
record of auxiliary material, and some corporation (8.3%) had not
separated raw materials and auxiliary materials, which could cause
potential hazard of irregular usage. However, the incidence of ni-
trite in the sauced pork reduced to zero when a HACCP system
was applied. A report by Pérez-Rodriguez (Pérez-Rodriguez, Bos-
ch-Bosch, & Garciá-Mata, 1996) shown that nitrite residue would
maintain a high level at the first 18 days during refrigeration in
frankfurters, but it should reduce gradually. Therefore, effect con-
trol measures applied in early processes help to reduce and elimi-
nate the nitrite contaminants in sauced pork. Comparatively,
microbiological contaminants were hardly eliminated in food.
Many factors could affect the ability of microorganisms to colonize
foods. Firstly, time and temperature were two key issues, research
in food production system indicated that time and temperature er-
rors occurred where were of unaccepted microbiological quality
(Blakelee & Penner, 1999; Kim & Shanklin, 1999). Elson and his col-
leagues (Elson, Burqess, Little, & Mitchell, 2004) also reported that
poor microbiological quality was associated with storage above
8 °C. Secondly, some food additives could also impact of microbial
growth. A study by Soultos (Soultos, Tzikas, Abrahim, Georgantelis,
& Ambrosiadis, 2008) showed that chitosan addition resulted in
significant inhibition of microbial growth, while nitrites did not
seem to protect sausages from microbial spoilage. Otherwise, con-
taminated raw material, cross-contamination during preparation
or high storage temperature could take the occurrence of coliforms,
especially in high number (Fang, Wei, Liao, Hung, & Wang, 2003).
These factors were complex, and increased the difficulty of resolv-
ing the food safety issues.
The implementation of HACCP system in food processing pro-
vides a pragmatic framework for good hygienic practice. Current
European Union proposals to consolidate food hygienic directives
currently envisage the application of food safety management pro-
cedures based upon HACCP principles, including documentation
and verification, to all sectors of the food chain (Food Standard
Agency (FSA), 2001). HACCP system emphasized that the relevant
hazards were identified, the potential risks were estimated and
specific control measures were applied in the CCPs rather than in
the ending products. This study had shown that chemical and
microbiological contaminants in vacuum-packed sauced pork
could be reduced or eliminated if a systematic approach such as
HACCP was implemented effectively and maintained. It was better
to ensure the food safety of end products. However, it was more
important to maintain the HACCP system rather than to establish,
the managers of food corporations should ensure the application of
HACCP system in their current production.
Acknowledgements
We appreciate the contribution of all the members participating
in this study, as well as the technicians who helped us detect the
samples. This work was supported by the Program for New Century
Excellent Talents in the University of China (NCET-04-0707). Any
finding, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this paper
are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official
views of food corporations.
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